NextEV – NIO EP9 The World Fastest Car Ever

This could be the world’s fastest electric car: the NIO EP9. So claims the manufacturer, China’s NextEV, which unveiled its new NIO brand of electric cars at a London art gallery today. How fast are we talking about here?

NextEV, which also has a Formula E team, says its electric supercar achieved a new lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack, a legendary German racetrack where supercar speeds are vetted. On October 12th, the EP9 lapped the 12.9-mile (20.8-kilometer) “Green Hell” track in 7 minutes and 5.12 seconds. That’s probably thanks to its wicked 1,390-horsepower engine, because holy crap, that’s fast.

Looking not unlike a Koenigsegg – the styling is exciting, if a bit uninventive – it has similarly scintillating numbers on its spec sheet.Like the Koenigsegg One:1, it comes with one whole megawatt of power, which translates into 1,341bhp. You’ll know this is comfortably more than a Bugatti Veyron or LaFerrari.

The Nio EP9’s maker, NextEV, also claims 3G ability. Nope, not for your phone signal, but in corners. That’s quite some G-force to contend with.The chassis is built to Le Mans LMP1 standards and employs lots of carbon to keep strength high and weight low, though it’s still a relatively portly 1,735kg. Decent for a car stuffed full of batteries, perhaps, but plenty for a supercar to haul along.